Sinkhole Appears on LaGuardia Airport Runway

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:05]Shalom family, good to see you all here.

[00:00:07]Hope you're doing well.

[00:00:09]You know what? One thing I have noticed over the last several years, whenever it gets close to a Gentile holiday, it always seems to be something that happens where it might rain the entire weekend or rain on their major holiday, or you know, something will happen, accidents, major snowstorms, I mean, hurricanes.

[00:00:39]This time it's a sinkhole on the runway at LaGuardia Airport. And this is approaching the holiday weekend.

[00:00:51]I do not think these are coincidence, and I think they're all signs from the heavenly father letting us know that we shouldn't be flying anywhere celebrating these holidays and all that stuff, but a lot of people do.

[00:01:09]You know, and Memorial Day is a big travel weekend, and look at what's happened to the airport industry just in the last several weeks. It has really gone down.

[00:01:26]Prices have gone up, jet fuel is no longer as available as it used to be. I mean, it has taken a major hit, and we know Spirit Airline went out of business.

[00:01:42]And it's not the only one. They're saying there are other airlines that will follow in the steps of Spirit.

[00:01:50]So, as we start approaching summer, the more scarce jet fuel is, and you know, maybe I'll do a story on the people that have flown and literally got stuck in different locations, especially in Europe, and when they were trying to come back home, they were told their flight was canceled because in Europe there was not enough jet fuel to fly them home.

[00:02:23]So, and I'm sure that's the last thing people want to hear, especially when you're trying to get home to your family, and or you traveled for your job, and you're trying to get back.

[00:02:37]So, it is one big old mess, y'all. It really is.

[00:02:42]So, let me but before we connect.

[00:02:50]Okay.

[00:02:51]So, I've been making the announcement that you can get products 40% off, and I told you that it's going to start on the 22nd, which is tomorrow, and all through the weekend up until May 26th.

[00:03:10]Well, it looks like I went out there and look.

[00:03:14]It It looks like Etsy started my sale a little ahead of time. So, if you go out there right now, at this very second, you can get 40% off.

[00:03:27]So, it It doesn't diminish anything because you'll be able to still get it all the way through the 26th.

[00:03:36]So, I just wanted to let you know, if you need to use the promo code, it's 40 weekend.

[00:03:43]And that's for both Shopify and Etsy.

[00:03:46]And you will see the link for all three shops, Etsy, Shopify, and TikTok shop in the community tab. And please look for the code cuz every single time when I put on a sale, I always get someone messaging me, "What is the code?" And I'm like, I try to tell you the code all the time.

[00:04:11]But I don't know. I guess it's it is just how some people are.

[00:04:18]All right, y'all.

[00:04:21]So, let's get to the sinkhole at LaGuardia Airport.

[00:04:40]Please give me a one if you can see my screen.

[00:04:57]Okay. Thank you so much.

[00:05:08]Major disruptions at one of the nation's busiest airports because of a sinkhole near one of the runways. It happened today at LaGuardia here in New York forcing the runway to shut down and causing serious delays. Airport officials say crews found the hole during a routine inspection and that they're working to get it fixed as quickly and safely as possible.

[00:06:06]>> 45 million Americans facing travel disruptions as they prepare to take to the skies and roads for Memorial Day weekend. New York City's LaGuardia Airport forced to shut down one of its two runways Wednesday after a sinkhole was discovered. What's happened to the runway 422? There's a sinkhole. A giant flashing X positioned on the runway to let pilots know it was out of commission. Part of the construction project? I think it's safe to assume that.

[00:06:32]That's a smart idea. Emergency crews scrambling to fix the sinkhole, but the critical runway hazard coupled with thunderstorm concerns creating a perfect storm of travel troubles prompting airlines to cancel nearly 300 flights at LaGuardia. It's just uh really unfortunate. It's out of uh their control. Uh the sinkhole is kind of crazy and the weather. It finally became summer. Nearby at Newark Liberty International Airport, air traffic controllers diverting planes telling pilots they reached capacity. The tower just called us and said they cannot take any more airplanes. They are in gridlock tonight. And today marks the busiest day for travel this holiday weekend. 54,000 flights projected to take off and the TSA is expected to screen more than 18 million passengers and crew through next week. This despite the cost of airfare increasing by 20% from this time last year.

[00:07:22]And this American Airlines flight behind me is headed to Miami in just a little bit carrying 170 of the 4.2 million people that American Airlines expects to fly between today and next Tuesday. They say they're ready for the holiday travel rush which kicks off what they're calling the busiest summer in the airline's history. As far as that sinkhole and when that runway might be reopened, they're expecting sometime around midday, which should clear up those delays here, guys.

[00:07:47]>> We hope that will be the case. Imagine someone looking out their window going, "Is that Will Reeve? Is that Will Reeve [laughter] working at the airport?"

[00:07:53]Yeah, give a wave to Miami. Thank you, Will. for the Memorial Day weekend, a major disruption at one of America's busiest airports here in New York City.

[00:08:00]Planes halted after a sinkhole opens up on the runway at LaGuardia Airport. And now the fire disrupting Amtrak service New York City to Philadelphia. Will Reeve from LaGuardia >> Tonight, this sinkhole on the tarmac of New York's LaGuardia Airport triggering travel chaos at one of the nation's busiest travel hubs ahead of Memorial Day weekend. More than 200 flights canceled, hundreds more delayed, shutting down one of LaGuardia's two runways for hours. Ground, what happened to the runway 422?

[00:08:30]There's a sinkhole.

[00:08:32]Airport officials say they found the sinkhole at 11:00 a.m. during routine airfield inspection and immediately closed the runway for emergency repairs.

[00:08:41]The nation's largest city also suffering rail service disruptions. This fire at a Philadelphia scrapyard prompting Amtrak to suspend operations from there to New York for a time this afternoon. It comes ahead of what's projected to be record-breaking Memorial Day travel with 45 million Americans expected to venture at least 50 miles for the holiday.

[00:09:03]And David, the FAA says it expects to have that affected runway reopened first thing tomorrow morning. But compounding the sinkhole problem, air LaGuardia thunderstorms rolling into the region causing further delays and cancellations, David. All right, Will Reeve tonight. Will, thanks. You mentioned those Massive sinkhole opening up on a busy runway.

[00:09:20]>> Okay. And you can see runway 22 is shut down right now. There's that giant X there, sort of a last-ditch effort if any planes make a mistake in thinking that this runway is open. It is closed.

[00:09:29]And right right past that X sign there, you see a number of emergency vehicles.

[00:09:34]There are about a dozen out there right now. And that's where this sinkhole is.

[00:09:38]For a better look at the sinkhole, let's go to aerials that were shot by Fox 5 a short time ago. Interesting to note that this is the same runway area as that fatal crash that took place out here less than a month ago. But today, at 11:00 this morning, Port Authority tells us they were conducting a daily morning inspection of LaGuardia's airfield when crews identified the sinkhole, which is technically right next to the runway, just off the runway and on a cross taxiway that's used very often here.

[00:10:07]Now, the runway was immediately shut down and emergency construction and engineering crews were rushed to the site to not just determine the cause of the sinkhole, but also what it will take to complete necessary repairs and to do so as quickly as possible. But still, we are 6 hours later and it is still not closed. And as a result, there are hundreds of delays and cancellations.

[00:10:32]Just past the fence behind me, you see those emergency lights flashing and crew members assessing the situation, really trying to come up with a solution to repair this sinkhole and reopen this runway in a very safe way. And I want you to take a listen to this air traffic control audio captured this morning when that hole was discovered.

[00:10:53]There's a sinkhole.

[00:10:57]According to a post on the airport's X account around 11:00 this morning, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey found the hole while conducting a daily inspection. They say runway 4-22 was immediately shut down. Chopper 2 captured crews made up of emergency personnel, engineers, and construction workers on the scene, along with an excavator and a dump truck. Port Authority sources say investigators are looking at many possibilities that may have caused the hole to open up, including a fuel line tunneling project.

[00:11:28]We spoke with our very own CBS News senior transportation correspondent Chris Van Cleave. He tells us sinkholes like this on a runway are fairly uncommon.

[00:11:38]Potholes on on runways and the taxiways at an airport are fairly unusual, but you know, like any roadway, something can undermine that surface and and cause it to collapse. Earlier this year, the Baltimore Airport had to close its runway because of what were described as potholes there. That was a fairly quick fix.

[00:12:03]He says while this may cause a headache for travelers, it highlights that regular inspections are working. And Christine, one more look now that that major truck has moved out of the way.

[00:12:11]You see those flashing lights behind me, that excavator and those crews still on scene. At this time, it's unclear how long it's going to take to repair this sinkhole and reopen this runway. So, officials are asking travelers to make sure they keep a close eye on those flights that they have. Reporting live in LaGuardia, Aida Rodriguez, CBS News, New York. They say that X marks the spot, and today that X is a sinkhole on one of LaGuardia Airport's runways. They had to close the runway down on Wednesday when the sinkhole appeared. It caused a lot of chaos at airports.

[00:12:42]People's flights were delayed, they were canceled. Now, there are people who were supposed to go home yesterday and are stuck in New York until at least Friday, they told us. And they don't know exactly what caused the sinkhole, but crews are working to fix it as quickly as possible. And according to the Port Authority, the airport should be back up and running by Thursday at noon.

[00:13:02]Unexpected challenge for travelers hitting the skies for Memorial Day weekend. One of the two runways at LaGuardia Airport is closed because of a sinkhole. Eyewitness News reporter Lindsay Tuchman is live at LaGuardia for us this morning. Lindsay, any update on when that runway will reopen?

[00:13:21]Well, Tonya, the goal was to have the runway reopened by 6:00 a.m., which is when LaGuardia Airport officially opens, but as of this point that runway has still not been opened. It is closed and some flights we are seeing are already delayed or canceled this morning. It's not clear if it's because of this runway being closed, but it's certainly something people want to keep in mind if they are heading on a flight out of LaGuardia today, especially as we head into the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend. And then the reason we know that this runway is still closed is because of this giant illuminated X on the runway. It's positioned here on runway 422 facing towards the sky so pilots know it is not safe to land just in case they did not already know that.

[00:14:02]Notably, this is the same runway where the deadly Air Canada collision happened in March shutting it down for several days and now a sinkhole is shutting it down again. A bit further off we have seen emergency crews driving around on the runway where repairs have been being made throughout the night. There are two intersecting runways at LaGuardia and according to the pilots air traffic radio broadcast, departing flights are directed to take off on runway 31 this morning which is the other runway. Now, this all happened Wednesday around 11:00 a.m. The large sinkhole was discovered during a daily morning inspection of the airfield which is good. Emergency crews were quick to shut down the runway and start the repairs and they had to open the hole even larger to assess the problem before being able to start closing it up safely. Now, this all happened just hours before storms moved into the area so between a runway being closed when there's only two runways and the poor weather, hundreds of flights did end up being delayed or canceled.

[00:14:56]Flyers yesterday reacted to the mess.

[00:14:59]It's paid gig and this has really just disrupted everything. Um I tried calling. I've rebooked my flight flights three times already.

[00:15:07]>> Tough, right? It happens like that though, I feel like. It's always going to happen at the worst time.

[00:15:14]Now again, some flights are still scheduled to take off imminently, but some have been delayed or canceled so make sure to check with your carrier if you are flying today. With only one one runway open, flights are able to leave, but they'll have to be spaced out a little bit more without having the two runways opened. At this point, we don't know exactly when the runway will reopen, and crews are still investigating why this sinkhole happened in the first place. Live at LaGuardia Airport, Lucy Craftman, Channel 7 Eyewitness News. Tonight, this sinkhole on the tarmac of New York's LaGuardia Airport triggering travel chaos at one of the nation's busiest travel hubs ahead of Memorial Day weekend. More than 200 flights canceled, hundreds more delayed, shutting down one of LaGuardia's two runways for hours.

[00:15:57]Ground, what happened to the runway 422?

[00:16:00]There's a sinkhole.

[00:16:02]Airport officials say they found the sinkhole at 11:00 a.m. during routine airfield inspection and immediately closed the runway for emergency repairs.

[00:16:11]Ground, what happened to the runway 422?

[00:16:14]There's a sinkhole.

[00:16:17]Part of the construction project?

[00:16:20]I think that's safe to assume that.

[00:16:22]Well, that's a smart idea.

[00:16:25]So, you're saying they got equipment out there now?

[00:16:43]This place is literally falling apart, y'all.

[00:16:46]It It's always something. It's always something. It's always something.

[00:16:53]>> [snorts] >> Yeah, I mean, that can be dangerous.

[00:16:57]You know, and wow, right there directly on the runway.

[00:17:02]The Most High has been busy. He has been really really busy.

[00:17:09]And who knows what shape America's going to be in. It is just so many things happening, y'all.

[00:17:17]And like I said, I think we're going to start really seeing the signs of the lack of jet fuel as soon as we hit June.

[00:17:29]When we get into June, that's when the jet fuel situation is going to be at a dire level at that point in time.

[00:17:41]Now, um you know, of course, you've got the Trump administration that won't even address these issues.

[00:17:51]He doesn't even want to talk about the gas prices. He doesn't want to talk about the job situation.

[00:17:58]And there so many things that should be addressed and it's just not getting addressed by Donald Trump.

[00:18:07]So, y'all, that means we're going to have to, now more than ever, fend for ourselves.

[00:18:17]That's what we're going to have to do.

[00:18:20]So, if you have to travel, you're just going to have to look for alternative ways to get to point A to point B.

[00:18:30]Because you may not be able to rely on the airports at all.

[00:18:38]So, y'all, I'm going to go ahead and conclude. I thank you so much for being here.

[00:18:44]And enjoy the rest of your afternoon, family.

[00:18:49]Shalom.